In this blog I want to promote various MA funding opportunities offered at Bham next year across our programmes. We have College of Arts and Law and Birmingham Research Institute for History and Cultures funding available for MA students, so please look at and share them, especially with potentially interested UGs.  This info is covered in the final paragraphs, but deadlines are looming.

But before I share the details about these, I want to comment on the progress of our current MA students. Although our full-time students have a summer of dissertation research and writing ahead of them (and our part-timers a bit longer), they finished their formal class-based modules at the end of March.

On the 18 March, we concluded this with a postgraduate taught (PGT) workshop discussing the various projects that students proposed to focus on for their dissertations.

The research plans and ideas showcased on this day – which also featured students from the MA in Modern Contemporary History and the MA in Global History – demonstrated a range of exciting and projects emerging from our PG taught programmes.

Although I remain much saddened that one of our students, Abi Farrell, did not agree to title her talk ‘Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie a methodological approach to deal with ABBA fandom’, we spent a lovely, interesting day listening to emerging ideas.

 

As the member of staff who dealt with the applications of these students around a year ago,  discussed their research plans in my capacity of course convenor, who taught on one of the course modules and acted as personal tutor to these students, it is striking to see how these ideas have developed over that period.

Some of the cohort have always had a strong sense of direction in their research plans, and it is rewarding to see these tackled or explored with increased confidence or in fresh ways. For others, they have found pleasing new directions and to take and curiosities to explore from the the modules covered during their time with us. From the talks given on the 18 March, these all seem exciting.

Given we reached the end of the core modules, I thought I would take to the blog to thank the students for the contributions, passion and enthusiasm with which they have embraced the programme.

These students were introduced to MBS Birmingham in the sweltering heat and deep debate on the future of PGs in UK Higher Education that took place on the first day of the MBS 2015 Conference, and they taken on this spirit, showing similar energy and committment. Although, I also suspect the urgency and intensity of those experiences brought their own stresses (sorry about that team!) it also meant they have been particularly engaged, demanding and, most importantly, histrically curious.

So with those students now finishing their assessments, before buckling down to dissertation graft, I wan to flag up the current funding options for those who might be interested in the MA in the future especially as our Birmingham Research Institute for History and Cultures (BRIHC) has recently announced sponsorships for our Masters Programmes.

You can find out more about studying with us on our Blog. Details on College or Arts and Law MA Research Scholarships can be found here (deadline 22 April) and details on the BRIHC Scholarships are here (deadline 20 March). These apply to all of our MA Programmes not just the MA in Modern British Studies. Deadlines are looming, so feel free to share these details with potential applicants or get in touch via email (c.i.moores@bham.ac.uk) if you want any further info.